Archive for October, 2011
Living in community
Wayne McWreath has been homeless for “a long, long time,” but he has found a place to belong among the Occupy Asheville movement, where is is cared for and treated with respect. Wayne McWreath choked back tears last night as he told the people of Occupy Asheville that the camp City Council had just voted [...]
It’s NOT your fault
“If you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself.” (big audience applause) – Herman Cain Really? How about someone with severe depression who can’t function at work? Is that his fault? How about someone with a mild cognitive disability? How about someone from rural North Carolina whose family worked in the furniture [...]
Tweet the super committee
I followed a link today to tweet the Congressional Super Committee about health care at http://www.standupforhealthcare.org/get-involved/save-medicaid/tweet-the-super-committee. It was easy and it only takes a minute to tweet 11 of the 12 members (Max Baucus apparently doesn’t tweet, so you have to e-mail him). I asked them to strengthen, not weaken the social safety nets of [...]
Dr. Margaret Flowers confronts Wall Street fat cats
Once again, Dr. Margarert Flowers performed a historic act — confronting a room full of investors hoping to make millions off of other people’s illness and injury. She took the microphone at a conference for investors, and when it was taken away, she kept talking, walking back and forth across the front of the dais as [...]
Orrin Hatch predicts a call for single-payer
In an address to the conservative Heritage Foundation, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch predicted that if Obama is elected to a second term, within a year ot two, he will “throw his hands in the air and say, ‘it’s not working we have to go to a single-payer system.’” I know a lot of people who would [...]
Where we go from here
I met with the Health Care Committee in Washington’s Freedom Plaza over the weekend and we talked about where health care goes from here. The Affordable Care Act has passed and it will help some people gain access to care, but we have a lot further to go before access to quality care is extended [...]
Back from Washington, but still protesting
I knew the October 2011 movement would be transforming, but I had now idea how much so. This was unlikje any demonstration I’ve ever attended. We arrived in Washington the night before the event and got to Freedom Plaza about 10 a.m. the morning of the 6th. The Plaza was filling quickly with people from [...]
Road trip for justice
I’m heading to Washington again, this time to join thousands who have taken to the streets to demand justice for working Americans. Health care is my issue, but I believe we all need to stand together for decent jobs, health care, education, food safety, a living wage, a fairer tax system and the abolition of [...]
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
To learn more, visit www.startfromseed.org, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.